On DVD: Reno 911 The Complete Fourth Season Uncensored

Directed by Brad Abrams, Michael Patrick Jann

Starring Carlos Alazraqui, Kerri Kenney, Thomas Lennon, Cedric Yarbrough,

Wendi McLendon-Covey, Niecy Nash, Mary Birdsong

The worst cops to ever wear a badge are back for the 4^th season of the popular series. Reno 911!: The Complete Fourth Season was recently released on DVD by Comedy Central.

 The Series

Just in case you aren’t familiar with the series, let me bring you up to speed. The series focuses on Lt. Jim Dangle (Thomas Lennon), Deputy Weigel (Kerri Kenney), Deputy Jones (Yarbrough), Deputy Garcia (Alazraqui), Deputy Williams (Niecy Nash), Deputy Johnson (Wendi McLendon-Covey), and Deputy Junior (Ben Garant). In the third season, Deputy Cheresa Kimball (Mary Birdsong) was added. She has blended with this comedy troupe well.  The audience sees how these officers conduct themselves, both on duty and off. The series style is very similar to Cops, complete with “shaky camera” and cops talking directly to the camera in-between arrests.

For fans, the fourth season sees the return of several fan favorite frequent offenders, such as Terry, the prostitute that favors skates instead of more traditional footwear. The cops of Reno are also re-visited by Big Mike (Toby Huss).

Along with the expected busts, the cops of Reno also provide a lot of laughs with terrible school presentations, woefully acted public service announcements and many other situations where their particular weaknesses are put on display for everyone to see.

There are also some new characters that are worth noting. There appearances might be brief, but they are hysterical : Stewie the Coroner, played by Brian Posehn, Patton Oswalt as a uproarious role playing geek that actually calls the police because someone’s costume at a small local renaissance fair is not historically accurate. There is Paul Rudd playing a Lamaze instructor that fancies not only Trudy Weigel, but any female bursting with child.

Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman) comes into the fray and appears as Rick of Citizens Patrol and virtually steals every scene he appears in. Not an easy task in this cast of well skilled performers.

If you are a fan of the series, the fourth season will not disappoint. This comedy troupe is truly at the top of their game. Each season, the cast continues to hone their craft and the audience is guaranteed to laugh.

9/10

The Video

Reno 911- The Complete Fourth Season is presented in its original full frame aspect ratio. I did not notice any edge enhancements and the colors are vibrant and crisp. The image quality is very sharp and the details are very nice. Overall, a great presentation of this comedy series.

 8/10

The Audio

Reno 911-The Complete Fourth Season is presented in Dolby 2.0 surround sound. The dialogue is very clear and crisp throughout. I did not notice any presence of distortion at any time.

8/10

The Packaging and Bonus Features

Reno 911: The Complete Fourth Season is presented in ThinPak cases enclosed in a cardboard slipcover. The artwork on the cover is nice.

Some nice bonus features await you on this release. There are five commentaries included on this release for Episode 4, 8, 9, 11 and 14 featuring the main cast. If you have listened to these commentaries before, you know how hilarious they can be.

There is also 8 Profiles in Valor which are constructed out of “interviews” with the characters and footage of their various foibles and triumphs.  These are hysterical and any fan of the show is going to really enjoy this bonus feature.

The expected Comedy Central “quickies” and promos for other Comedy Central shows round out the bonus features offered.

8/10

Overall (Not an Average) 8/10

The Series 9/10

The Video 8/10

The Audio 8/10

The Packaging and Bonus Features 8/10

Overall (Not an Average) 8/10

-Suzie Lackey